Display-box



UNITEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON D. SMITH AND FRED A. SMITH, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

DISPLAY-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,974, dated April 23, 1889. Application filed January 14, 1889. fierial No. 296,374. (No model.)

2"0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HARRISON D. SMITH and FRED A. SMITH, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Boxes for Containing and Displaying Chewing-Gum, Candies, or other Confections, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates more particularly to ornamental boxes for containing and displaying goods-such as chewing-gum, candies, and the like-for sale; and it consists in the combination, with the body of a box preferably divided into compartment-s for receiving the goods, of two or more lids hinged at their inner edges to cross-bars, partitions, or blind compartments, all as hereinafter fully described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a twocompartment box embodying our invention, with the lids closed, the arrows indicating the direction of movement assumed by said lids in opening the several compartments of the box for displaying and selling the goods contained therein; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the same with the lids thrown open and lying folded one on the other at the middle of the box; Fig. 3, a central cross-section of the box shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the lids closed, the dotted lines and arrows indicating the directionof movement of said lids, and also the position they assume when resting upon one another with the compartments open; Fig. 4, a cross-section of a box having three compartments with the lids closed and hinged so as to be turned and opened inwardly, the same as in the preceding views; Fig. 5, a perspective View of a two-compartment box without the blind center shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, but having its lids hinged at their inner edges, the said lids being shown closed in this View; and Fig. 6, a perspective view of the box shown in Fig. 5 with one of.

the lids thrown back on the other and one compartment open.

A represents the body of the box, and a the several lids thereof.

B represents removable trays fitted within body A to form the several compartments for receiving the goods.

O in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 represents an inverted tray fitted in the box intermediate the end trays or compartments, B, and forming a blind compartment to which the inner edges of lids a are hinged by flexible strips 1) or other suitable means.

0 c are two strips or bars along the upper face of blind tray 0, near the side edges thereof, to which strips or bars one edge of the hinging-strip of each lid is attached. A mirror, D, (shown on the inner face of one of the lids in Fig. 2,) may be attached for beautifying the,box, and both faces of the lids, together with the upper face of the blind compartment, may be suitably ornamented to make the box as attractive and conspicuous as possible for the display and sale of its c011- tents. The inner edges of the trays may also be ornamented with anarrow inwardly-projecting strip of lace, as customary.

In reciting the advantages of our box it is quite obvious that the lids thereof, hinged at their inner edges to the wide intermediate compartment, would always'lie flat upon the said intermediate compartment outof the way of contact when either open or closed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the blind compartment would also form a substantial foundation or support for said lids or either of them when thrown open and lying fiat thereupon, thereby preventing any accidental detachment or breaking asunder of said lids, as has hitherto been the difficulty with lids hinged at their outer edges to the outer walls of the box.

Boxes constructed with plane-faced lids hinged so as to turn inwardly and lie flatly, as herein shown and described, would also occupy considerably less space than would others now in general use where the lids turn out wardly, as is obvious.

The boxes shown in- Figs. 4, 5, and (Bare modified forms, that in Fig. 4 showing three thereto. The lids in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4c are arranged so that either one or two compartments may remain open at a time, as desired, but thosein Figs. 5 and 6 are arranged so that but one compartment can remain open, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

It is obvious that instead of fitting the removable trays B in the body of the box suitable partitions or cross-bars could be used to divide the box into compartments, the inner edges of the lids hinged thereto, and operate quite as well.

We claim In a display-box for chewing-gum, candies, or other goods, the combination, with the body or box proper, A, divided into end compartments, B, and intermediate blind compart- 

